Reborn with Consumption System-Chapter 579 - 258: Letting Down the Guard

Han Lie looked up at Tang Xintian, surprise clearly visible in his eyes.

A sense of pride swelled within Tang Xintian. Little boy, are you ready to face the storm?

Once the seal is broken, I even scare myself!

However, her triumph didn't last long. She soon noticed that the astonishment in the young man's eyes... wasn't quite what she had anticipated.

If it were admiration, Han Lie's emotion should have been, "So, you're *this* beautiful."

The outward signs would typically include a stiff facial expression, rapidly constricting pupils, a passionate and obsessed gaze, a bobbing Adam's apple, and clenched fingers, among other things.

The first time young men saw her in her "unsealed" state, 95% of them would reveal at least one, and sometimes as many as six or seven, similar signals.

The remaining 5% were gay. No exceptions.

But... Han Lie was truly different.

Tang Xintian deciphered a clear message in his eyes: "You seem to have some serious issues."

That mixture of mild shock, confusion, and disdain flowed freely from his clear eyes. Coupled with his slightly furrowed brows, the expression was damnably eloquent.

CAW. CAW. CAW... It was as if a black crow had flown overhead.

Tang Xintian froze completely, seriously doubting if what she was sensing was just an illusion.

Then Han Lie spoke, his tone bewildered, making her realize... oh, it wasn't an illusion.

"Tangtang, are you trying to act cute for me?"

The worst thing is when the air suddenly goes quiet.

Even worse is when that silence arises because you're so stunned, so foolish, that your mind goes completely blank.

For a full three seconds, Tang Xintian couldn't stammer out a single syllable.

Her usually nimble lips were completely rigid; she almost choked on her words.

Tang Xintian's ten toes dug fiercely into the soles of her shoes. Her calf muscles tensed, and her hands twisted behind her back like a pretzel.

F**k! F**k! F**k! I hate you!

Tang Xintian screamed internally at nearly 250 decibels before the tingling numbness in her scalp finally began to subside.

Then, she forced an awkward laugh, trying to save face. "Ah? No, not at all... Wasn't this what you asked for?"

Han Lie lowered his head again, his gaze returning to the screen. He delivered another critical hit with a casual remark, "My request didn't include *that*... Girls born after '95 don't really do that cutesy head-tilt thing anymore. Tangtang, you're hilarious."

This rotten bastard... this rotten bastard!

Tang Xintian almost exploded with anger. She quickly straightened her head, put on a stern face, and replied robotically, word by word, "I apologize. Are you satisfied now?"

Han Lie didn't look up. "That's fine. Go take a seat. The people from the trust are arriving soon."

When Tang Xintian sat on the sofa in the reception area, her C-cup bra felt like it was straining to become an E-cup. Her lungs filled with a coppery, sweet taste, and her throat burned with every breath.

Honestly, in her twenty-five years of life, she had never been this furious.

Yet, the most tragic part was that she had to keep reminding herself: Don't get angry. Absolutely do not get angry! This bastard is your benefactor...

Ugh, it wasn't very helpful. Still so, so angry.

...

Soon, the only sounds in the room were the sporadic tapping of a keyboard and the clicking of a mouse.

Tang Xintian gradually calmed down and began to rethink her strategy for winning over Han Lie.

Giving up was not an option. Han Lie was too valuable; no matter how tough it got, she had to keep pushing forward.

Success in society never comes easily.

Is it hard to attract deposits?

Is it difficult to ask those rich bastards for a loan?

Don't you have to struggle and fight for every opportunity?

Tang Xintian didn't get discouraged. Instead, she began to add more details to her psychological profile of Han Lie.

[Extremely calm, possesses firm inner strength and strong resistance to feminine charms. Occasionally, his speech and behavior might seem flippant, but that's just a facade.]

[He's a smooth talker, but his heart isn't easily swayed. Considering his age and experience, he possesses superhuman determination. His goals must be extraordinarily ambitious.]

[5% chance he longs for a pure, innocent campus romance.]

[10% chance he's asexual.]

[85% chance he's gay, he's gay, he's GAY!!!]

[Perhaps, while engaging in this exchange of benefits, I should try to become besties with him?]

Tang Xintian engaged in a fierce brainstorming session. After a flurry of intense mental gymnastics, she arrived at a conclusion that was somewhat logical yet utterly preposterous...

Meanwhile, Han Lie had finally finished reviewing his stock portfolio.

There wasn't much to explain; everything was exactly as he had expected.

On the last trading day before the holiday, the market had finally buckled. Bearish expectations triggered a capital flight. The index itself didn't fall too drastically, but about a thousand individual stocks had plummeted.

Now, the index stood at 2,052 points, leaving little room for further decline.

Moreover, blue-chip stocks hadn't risen much previously, so they remained relatively stable. In contrast, the small and medium-cap stocks, which had been more bullish earlier, suffered severe declines.

Dipping below 2,000 points was definitely on the horizon; it was just a question of how it would get there.

Han Lie couldn't recall the specific details of how it would happen.

But he could make an educated guess.

Large-cap stocks had little room to fall, so a drastic nosedive was unlikely. It would more likely be a slow bleed, trading space for time as prices gradually declined.

The possibility of it ending in one or two days was very low. With one trading day left this week, the index might reach 2,000 points by next Wednesday or Thursday.

A drop of 52 points over four or five days wouldn't be a major issue for the overall index, but individual stocks would undoubtedly face a bloodbath.

Fortunately, Han Lie was well aware of future trends. Themes like 4G, artificial intelligence, newly listed stocks (IPOs), new energy, and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional development concept had dominated the market's earlier phase.

In the second half of the year, when the bull market truly kicked off, sectors like high-speed rail, brokerages, and aerospace/defense would take turns leading the market's upward surge.

Therefore, on the day the index fell below 2,000 points, he could build substantial positions in the 4G and new energy sectors.